By Grace O
One of the hottest topics to come out of the world of food and nutrition was the broad introduction of plant-based meats, specifically patties that mimic beef burgers. Two companies, Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat, are at the forefront of providing meat substitutes that really taste like ground beef. The question from a FoodTrients standpoint is: Are these products more healthful than beef patties? Do they have what it takes to benefit your well-being?
The first thing to know about these plant-based meat substitutes is that veggie burgers have been around for decades. Remember Boca Burger and GardenBurger? The market for these products consisted of vegetarians and vegans who wanted to avoid eating meat. Impossible Burgers and Beyond Burgers are targeted primarily toward people who regularly eat meat and patronize establishments like Burger King, but for whatever reason, want to cut down. Those reasons could be for health, for animal welfare, to benefit the environment, to appease non-meat-eating loved ones or any combination of the above.
What Are the Plant-based Patties Made of?
If you want to eat food that is more natural, these patties are not it! Check the ingredient statements. The Beyond Meat patty contains 22 ingredients – some that sound pretty benign, like pea protein isolate, and some unrecognizable, such as methylcellulose.
Impossible Burgers also consist of a long, mostly unpronounceable list of ingredients. Instead of pea protein isolate, the number-two ingredient (after water) is soy protein concentrate. These are not whole foods, but rather plant extracts extruded in a lab.
Trader Joe’s released its own entry into the plant-based burger wars. The new “Protein Patties” contain 18 grams of protein and are made from a combination of pea protein, sunflower oil, beets and seasonings.
The scary thing about textured vegetable protein, soy protein isolate and soy protein concentrate is that, in order to separate soybean proteins from fats, many manufacturers use a solvent called hexane. Although most of the hexane evaporates, small amounts remain in the final product. Hexane is a known human neurotoxin and is suspected of damaging reproductive and fetal health. The European Union limits this residue to 10 ppm, while in the U.S. the leftover amounts of hexane are 20-50 ppm.
How About the Nutritional Profiles of Beef Versus Beef-Alternatives?
Most alternative beef patties come reasonably close to the nutritional profiles of actual beef. Here’s the nutritional statement for a 4oz. beef patty that’s 80% lean:
- Calories: 287
- Fat: 23 g (9 g sat fat)
- Sodium: 75 mg
- Protein: 19 g
- Carbohydrates: 0 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Sugars: 0 g
Below is the nutritional declaration for a 4oz. Beyond Beef patty:
- Calories: 270
- Fat: 20 g (6 g sat fat)
- Sodium: 380 mg
- Protein: 20 g
- Carbohydrates: 5 grams
- Fiber: 3 grams
- Sugars: 0 grams
And here’s the nutrition statement for a 4oz. Impossible Burger patty:
- Calories: 240
- Fat: 14 g (8 g saturated)
- Sodium: 370 mg
- Protein: 19 g
- Carbohydrates: 9 g carbohydrates
- Fiber: 3 g
- Sugars: Less than 1 g
As you can see, the beef alternative patties have slightly fewer calories, a little less fat and more carbohydrates than a beef burger, but where they really fall down is in the high levels of sodium, which can contribute to high blood pressure and other problems of the vascular system. And the levels of artery-clogging saturated fat from coconut oil are almost as high as a 20% fat beef burger.
So, Here’s the Thing
If you don’t mind eating a highly processed meat substitute, both Impossible Burger and Beyond Burgers taste pretty delicious, especially when doctored up with ketchup, onions, tomatoes, etc. like any fast-food burger. The texture of the patties is eerily like meat, especially because they add heme, a molecule that provides the bloody look and taste of beef.
According to nutritionists who have weighed in on these latest meat alternatives, just as in the case of beef burgers, they aren’t the type of food you want to eat every day if you want to maintain a healthful diet. Simply switching from animal-based meat to plant-based meat won’t make you healthier unless you add a lot of vegetables, fruits and whole grains to your diet as well.
– Grace O is the creator of FoodTrients, a unique program for optimizing wellness and longevity. She is the author of three award-winning cookbooks. Her latest cookbook is “Anti-Aging Dishes from Around the World.” Learn more at FoodTrients.com.
